2 Awaken

My body jerked awake.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah." I screamed.

I rolled off my rest mat and my wings were flattened under my back. I waved my arms and legs around wildly as I fought off an invisible foe.

Then I noticed several things.

I felt no pain. There were no fire ants gnawing on my flesh. I was not in danger.

"How? What?" I muttered.

I lowered my arms and rolled onto my front. My eyes blinked many times as I looked around my old nest. My current nest?

'Did I dream up all those things? Was it all a nightmare?'

I touched along my body. Everything was intact. It must have been a nightmare. I stood up to my full height and wiggled my antennae around.

It couldn't smell anyone else, so no one had been in my nest recently. There still might be time to notify the council of Papa's betrayal. The colony couldn't continue being lied to.

I stretched my wings before going outside. A series of tunnels were before me, and I took several turns before I walked into the main hall. Many others were scurrying to their destinations. The ceilings, grounds, and walls were covered in traffic.

I didn't usually pay attention to the beings that run or crawl by me, but something odd appeared the moment I focused on one of the figures. I heard a voice speaking to me.

TRAVELER 201

TRAVELER 202

TRAVELER 203

I turned around and looked behind me. There was no one behind me. I looked up at the ceiling. There was no one above me.

I lifted an arm to my mouth and licked it. I tasted normal, so the voice wasn't a reaction to poison. I lifted another limb and licked it.

'Where did the voice come from?'

I lowered myself to all fours and started scurrying with the crowds. I needed to get to the council rooms and sound the alarm on Papa Roach. He had to be stopped.

As I crawled along, I kept turning my head to look out for anyone or anything that might have followed me. When I neared the council rooms, I saw him.

Papa Roach stood beside a council member. They were having a conversation. I had not seen Papa Roach so calm. Not since the great flood. Not since many of the Mamas had died. Not since the kidnappings. Though, there he stood. Antennae held high and wings in astonishingly good condition. Why did all of this feel weird?

COUNCIL MEMBER THRO IDENTIFIED

PAPA ROACH WREE IDENTIFIED

I looked over my shoulders. No one was there. I didn't have time for going crazy. I marched past the two beings.

"Ta! You gonna walk on by your Papa? What sort of consumer are you raising, Wree?" Council member Thro asked.

I paused and ground my mandibles together.

"I don't know, Council Member Thro. I can't take all the blame, Ta has always been a favorite of Mama," Papa Roach replied mirthfully.

I was surprised by his response. Ever since he knew I had evidence against him, he had treated me hostile. We stopped acknowledging eachother. There was no Mama to stop us from fighting. She has been released to the Star Colony; just like all the rest of our deceased ones.

"Still no reply. I'm surprised at you, Ta. What has you in such a hurry?" Council Member Thro said while turning toward me.

I turned toward the two of them and muttered, "Nothing too important."

My wings fluttered nervously before I scurried away. I didn't understand what was going on, but I could brainstorm later. I entered the waiting area and stood up on two legs to see how long I would have to wait to be at the front of the line. As I looked around I rubbed my hands onto my head and the base on my feelers. Mama always nagged me about tugging on my antennae while nervous, but I couldn't stop myself. Everything feels so wrong.

I had quite a while to wait, so I started looking at the other occupants of the lines. My eyes blinked several times as I spotted someone very familiar.

"Uuh."

Several beings ahead of me stood Mama. Her yellow tipped brown wings and red limbs are easily picked out of the crowd. She was having holding an antenna in one hand and pointing at the tip while having a conversation with a ladybug.

MAMA DIDI IDENTIFIED